Battery life ranks among the most critical features of the iPhone. Whether you’re considering the sleek iPhone 17 Air, the powerhouse iPhone 17 Pro Max, or sticking with your existing device, iOS 26 is introducing a new feature aimed at prolonging your iPhone’s battery: Adaptive Power.
## Adaptive Power introduces a new iOS 26 option to enhance battery longevity
If your iPhone’s battery is running low, iOS has long provided Low Power Mode as a useful resource. While some users opt to keep Low Power Mode activated at all times, that’s quite an extreme measure to extend your iPhone’s battery duration. iOS 26 presents a much more balanced approach.
Adaptive Power is a novel battery setting designed to help your iPhone last longer—especially on days of heavy usage. You can locate it within the Settings app’s Battery section under ‘Power Mode.’ Unlike Low Power Mode, which disables numerous features and significantly affects your experience, Adaptive Power focuses on delivering small battery improvements with minimal effect on performance.
Here’s how Apple defines it:
> “When your battery usage is above average, iPhone can implement minor performance tweaks to prolong your battery life, such as slightly dimming the display brightness or permitting certain activities to take a bit longer. Low Power Mode may activate at 20%.”
In essence, on a “typical use” day, your iPhone battery won’t necessarily be extended significantly—if at all. However, during times of increased usage, Adaptive Power will engage and implement slight adjustments to help conserve your battery for a longer period.
Note: although Apple doesn’t promote Adaptive Power as an AI feature, users participating in the iOS 26 beta have discovered that it’s exclusively available on Apple Intelligence-enabled devices. This means you’ll need an iPhone 16-class model or later, or an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max.
Have you tried Adaptive Power in the iOS 26 beta? How has it been functioning for you? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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